Nanto Seiken
Nanto Sei Ken (南斗聖拳, South Dipper Holly Fist) Is a fictional martial arts style featured prominently in the manga/anime series Fist of the North Star. It is the primary rival style of Hokuto Shinken, the main fighting style of the series, and specializes in destroying the enemy, from the outside, through the use of hand-to-hand stabbing and slicing techniques and oftentimes using air pressure in order to do so without direct contact. In the anime, a light effect is usually added, which may be intended to mean that it uses ki to cut, but this remains ambiguous. The Nanto Seiken style is named after the Chinese asterism Nanto Roku Sei (南斗六星; literally, South Dipper Six Stars), a portion of Sagittarius known as the Milk Dipper in the West. The six primary successors of Nanto Seiken in the story are known as the Nanto Roku Seiken (南斗六聖拳, South Dipper Six Saint Fists). Other Nanto practitioners includes the Golan Colonel, Amiba, Yuda's lieutenant Dagarl, the knife-jugglers Beji and Giji, and the Harn Bros. In the official English versions of Fist of the North Star, this style is referred as the Fist of the 'Southern Cross' or Fist of the South Star, depending on the translator. The former is used in the Viz edition of the English manga and the live-action movie, whereas the latter is used in the English dub of the anime. The Raijin Master Edition alternates between the two names, using Southern Cross in the early volumes and South Star for the rest. While the Nanto asterism is unrelated to the Southern Cross, the Southern Cross itself serves as the symbol of Nanto Seiken in the series and it is also the name of Shin's city. History ' Originally Nanto Seiken was the fighting style used by Shin, the first major antagonist in the series. According to the backstory provided, Nanto Seiken, along with the Hokuto Shinken, are the two most powerful assassination styles in Chinese martial arts. It follows a different principle from Hokuto Shinken, in which it has the power to destroy an enemy's body from the outside through powerful stabbing techniques, as opposed to Hokuto Shinken's use of the body's acupressure points to destroy the enemy from within. Its name serves to reflect its opposite nature from Hokuto Shinken (Hokuto is the North Dipper, whereas Nanto is the South). While Kenshiro and Shin were taught to never fight each other, Shin broke the rules by defeating Ken in order to claim Yuria (Ken's fiancee) for his own. The first story arc centers around Ken's quest to reclaim Yuria from Shin. After Shin's death, many other Nanto styles and fighters were introduced in order to expand the story beyond the initial ten chapters. These styles, such as Nanto Muon Ken and Nanto Suichō Ken, are established to be sects of the main Nanto Seiken. The organization structure of Nanto Seiken is eventually established in manga chapter 80. There are over 108 sects of Nanto Seiken, with the six primary branches being the Nanto Roku Seiken. The Roku Seiken were the guardians of the six gates of an Emperor's castle and whose fates are tied to the six Nanto stars. After the nuclear war which occurred before the beginning of the series, the Nanto masters were split into two groups: a pacifist side and a power-seeking side. When Yuda, one of the Roku Seiken, betrayed the Nanto school to join Raoh's forces (along with 27 subordinate sects), the fates of the other Nanto stars turned tragic (which includes the already deceased Shin and Rei, who is dying from a previously inflicted wound at this point of the story). The story arc after Yuda's and Rei's deaths (chapters 83-97) centers around the rivalry between two of the remaining masters: the benevolent Shū and his arch-enemy Souther, strongest of the Nanto warriors. After the death of Souther, the Last General of Nanto (南斗最後の将, ''Nanto Saigo no Shō) appears to confront Raoh. The Last General is revealed to be none other than the previously thought-to-be-dead Yuria, a descendant of the '''Rightful Nanto Lineage (南斗正当血統, Nanto Seitō Kettō). Sects There are 108 sects of Nanto Sei Ken. This style focuses on destroying from the outside. These styles mostly concentrate on stabbing or slicing. There are six primary Nanto masters, Nanto Rokusei Ken, to correspond to the six stars in the Nanto Roku Sei constellation. Originally each of the six masters was a guard at each of the six gates of the emperor's palace. When Yuda betrayed the Nanto Roku Sei Ken by joining Raoh, the fates of the Roku Sei Ken became tragic. Nanto Roku Sei Ken There are six primary Nanto Sei Ken masters, the Nanto Rokusei Ken (南斗六聖拳, Six Sacred Fists of Nanto), to correspond to the six stars in the Nanto Roku Sei constellation. Each member of the Rokusei is destined to follow the star they represent, and each fate was awakened at its own time independent of the other Rokusei. Originally each of the six masters was a guard at each of the six gates of the emperor's palace. When Yuda betrayed the Nanto Roku Sei Ken by joining Raoh, the Nanto stars went into disarray, summoning Hokuto to restore order. Ura - Nanto Roku Sei Ken Nanto Goshasei The five guardians of the Last Nanto General are each trained in their own unique fighting styles. With the exception of Juza, who uses a self-taught style, the origins of each of the Goshasei's fighting styles are never fully explained. They are not counted among the 108 sects of Nanto Seiken. However, their techniques can "cut" like the Nanto Technique with the exception of Ocean Style. Hyui and Shuren manipulate wind and flame respectively to slice their opponents, whereas Fudoh fractures his opponents with brute force. Juza's self-taught style focuses on wrestling techniques, contorting and breaking his enemies. In the TV series, Rihaku veritably uses powerful flying kicks and lunges befitting a tidal wave. Nanto Shin Goshasei Ura - Nanto Goshasei The five guardians of the Ura - Nanto General of Fate are each trained in their own unique fighting styles. Other Nanto styles The Nanto Seiken, as previously mentioned, is composed of over 108 sects. However, only a few of them outside the Roku Seiken are featured in the manga. The majority of the Nanto Seiken styles were featured in the Hokuto no Ken anime series, as well as spin-off manga. 'In the original manga' 'In the anime series' 'In gaiden series' 'In the novels ' 'Another styles ' Another Ura - Nanto Sei Ken warriors See also * List of Kenpō. ja:南斗聖拳 Category:Kenpō *